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Month: January 2017

Rejoice tarot lovers! A new classic is out in the wild and available for purchase now! I’m talking about “Everyday Witch Tarot” by Deborah Blake with art by Elisabeth Alba.

Imagine the Rider-Waite tarot and then infuse it with witch whimsy and you have the “Everyday Witch Tarot”. The 252 page “Guide to the Everyday Witch Tarot” that comes with the deck is a fabulous, full color, affair. The card descriptions are written in an accessible manner and sometimes give you a new perspective.

The Devil

The Devil made you do it? I don’t think so.

A handsome devil of a mage with dark hair, a pointed black beard, and a swirling black cape is offering money to a male witch and an ice cream cone to a young female witch. While he is smiling and pleasant, a pointed tail curls out from underneath his cape and his eyes have a reddish gleam. Each witch has a cat who is trying to pull them away and is being ignored. A volcano smokes in the far background. The mood is ominous but not hopeless.

Contrary to what you might think, the Devil doesn’t represent some evil being who comes in from the outside world to lure and ensnare us. That would be easier to fight than the reality, which is that each of us has devils that we have created for ourselves: addiction, bad habits, obsessions, and unhealthy decisions that we cling to long after it is clear that they are leading us in the wrong direction or holding our lives hostage. Temptation can be so hard to resist. That makes this seem like a scary, hopeless card, but it isn’t. We often hold onto the devil we know because we are more comfortable with the negativity and dysfunction we are used to than we are the idea of starting over and creating something better. But you can do it. You chose this devil, and you can choose to say “no more.”

Let’s get real though, when considering buying a tarot deck you want to see the art. ALL THE ART! Well, we ain’t doing that here, but I did want to show you a few more examples of the great job artist Elisabeth Alba did bring “Everyday Witch Tarot” to life.

The back of every card has this adorable and classic looking design.

Magic the Cat was the model.

Also, here the joyous The Sun.

Do you feel the sun on your face?

It’s no secret that Deborah Blake is my sister from another mister, but in all honesty this deck is a modern classic. Llewellyn would be stupid to ever let this go out of print because “Everyday Witch Tarot” is a deck that will be enjoyed again and again as it is rediscovered by each new generation of tarot reader.

Washington, D.C. – As incoming President Donald Trump prepares to appoint an anti-regulatory EPA Administrator based on claims that environmental regulations “kill jobs,” a new report that synthesizes decades of economics research documents that this claim is false.

The Environmental Integrity Project’s report, “Don’t Believe the Job Killer Hype,” examines data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as reports from the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, and more than two dozen economists and researchers.

The federal government data show that only about two tenths of one percent of layoffs are caused by government regulations of any kind, including environmental regulations. Layoffs are caused far more often by corporate buyouts, technological advances, and lower overseas labor costs.

“The evidence shows that there is no simply no truth to the idea that regulations kill jobs or stifle growth,” said Eric Schaeffer, Executive Director of the Environmental Integrity Project. “In fact, regulations provide huge economic benefits to our society, with minimal, though generally positive, effects on jobs and productivity. On the other hand, the absence of regulation can have severe economic consequences, with perhaps the most notable example being the 2008 financial collapse.”

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate is scheduled to hold a confirmation hearing on Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt as Trump’s pick to serve as the next EPA Administrator. Pruitt has made a career of repeatedly suing EPA for its “overreach” and has promised to make “regulatory rollback” a top goal.

President Elect Trump’s website praises Pruitt for his opposition to what it calls “job killing” regulations. The Trump website features quotes praising Pruitt including this one from Texas Governor Greg Abbott: “I look forward to working with Scott as he brings common-sense policies to a federal agency that has been one of the biggest job-killers in the Obama administration.”

This term has been used repeatedly by Trump and Congressional Republicans, but an examination of economics data and literature reveals that the claim lacks a factual foundation, and is just an empty rhetorical device that journalists should challenge and the public should reject.

Here are the facts, all of which are backed up by detailed citations listed in the report:

• According to information reported by employers to the U.S. Bureau of Labor
Statistics, only two tenths of one percent of mass layoffs – defined as more than 50 people laid off for at least 30 days — are caused by government intervention or regulations (of any kind, not just environmental regulations).

• For every job lost due to regulations, 15 are lost due to corporate cost cutting and 30 are lost due to changes in the ownership of business or other organizational changes, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• A 2014 review paper from the London School of Economics concluded that the effect of environmental regulations on the competitiveness of businesses is “negligible compared to other factors such as market conditions and the quality of the local workforce.”

• Over the last decade, the benefits of environmental regulations have exceeded the costs they impose by a ratio of more than ten to one, according to the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.

• All told, major regulations provide net economic benefits to the U.S. of over $500 billion per year.

• A 2014 report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that stronger environmental policies lead to short-term gains in productivity growth, resulting in permanently higher levels of productivity.

• Clean air and water regulations often require power companies and municipalities to hire construction workers and engineers to build filtration systems. A report prepared for the Utility Air Regulatory Group estimated that the installation of a sulfur dioxide scrubber on a 500-Megawatt coal plant, for example, creates over 100 full-time jobs for three years.

• In 2009, Economists at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst found that per dollar of spending, solar and wind energy projects create twice as many jobs as coal or natural gas, including more jobs in manufacturing and construction, and more “high-credentialed” jobs at an average hourly wage of $24.50.

Abel Russ, attorney for the Environmental Integrity Project and author of the report “Don’t Believe the Job Killer Hype,” noted that by selecting Scott Pruitt to run and possibly dismantle EPA, Trump appears to buy into the argument that it’s better to delegate environmental regulations away from the federal government and towards the states.

“If this happens, we may also see a repeat of what some economists observed during President Reagan’s efforts at deregulation in the 1980s,” Russ said. “States with stronger environmental policies will outperform weak states and create more jobs, while states with weak environmental policies will suffer. Senators should keep this in mind when they vote on Pruitt’s confirmation during the hearing this week.”

The Environmental Integrity Project is a 15-year-old nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, based in Washington D.C., dedicated to enforcing environmental laws and holding polluters and governments accountable to protect public health. To learn more, visithttp://www.environmentalintegrity.org/.

Let’s face it, there are hundreds, probably thousands (maybe more?), of adult coloring books at this point. I don’t want to sound all hipster, but my mom and I were coloring in coloring books as adults when all you could do was poke around the children’s book section for something to color. In fact, I have a Hello Kitty coloring book right now because if you like coloring, you never outgrow the classics. I’ve reviewed adult coloring books before now and I will again. Prepare thyself.

The Witches' Almanac Coloring Book

The latest in my growing collection of adult coloring books is “The Witches’ Almanac Coloring Book”. I have to say I’m happy to see more occult, pagan, and witch oriented coloring books popping up and “The Witches’ Almanac Coloring Book” doesn’t disappoint. It has 7 different categories, although some are larger than others: woodcuts, constellations, the planets, creatures, Egyptians, Americas, and tarot. Woodcuts features a wonderful mix of woodcut illustrations. What is nice about them, and most of the images used in this coloring book, is that that feature bold black outlines with nice spaces to color. Sometimes these adult coloring books are so fixated on having non-childlike images that they forget someone is supposed to be coloring those pictures in! Anyway, you’ve got nudity in here, doesn’t get more adult than that! That’s right, you can color Adam and Eve. In constellations you’ll find the stars in the images of their namesakes. The planets shows the mythological beings that represent them. Creatures is filled with some surprising twists. Instead of more traditional mythological creatures, you get the crazy mish mash that are creature images from the Medieval period. The Egyptians section if loaded with the traditional hieroglyphic images that are immediately recognizable and perfect for coloring. The Americas has Calaveras, Mayan images, and other south of the border pictures. Lastly tarot offers all the classic tarot cards to color. There is a blank page at the very end to test colors before using them on your chosen picture.

I colored this myself!

Each section has a brief introduction offering some information about the images and some ideas of what to contemplate upon while coloring. Just in case concentrating on staying in the lines isn’t enough for you!

“The Witches’ Almanac Coloring Book” is a wonderful addition to the adult coloring book category. It’s perfect for those looking for an eclectic coloring experience.

I think most people agree, 2016 blew chunks. Sure, lot of good things happened last year, but the overall take on 2016 is that it was a garbage fire of global proportions. Don’t feel bad, it was shitty over here at The Buffet as well.

It couldn’t have gone unnoticed that I posted a nearly nonexistent amount in 2016. That’s because, as we’ve all observed, 2016 stunk. Many of you know that I’ve been struggling with a daily headache for about 5 years. That’s exactly what it sounds like, roughly 5 years ago I woke up with a headache and it has never gone away. Some days it’s kind of mild, most days it’s fairly strong, and sometimes it’s just full on unbearable. In 2016 I just kind of shut down with it. Most days I use up all my energy just going to work and so when I come home, or it’s the weekend, I just don’t want to do anything. Fortunately I have an understanding group of friends, and family, that understand that I’m just not as active as I used to be and don’t take it personally that I’m home more than out. Sadly, this meant that I pretty much ignored The Magical Buffet.

As I type this, over 2000 emails sit in The Magical Buffet’s email inbox going unread. I have no content immediately ready to post. I’ve gone to no events and with my health and finances, I’m uncertain if I’ll be going to any this year. It’s been unfair to a lot of people: loyal readers, fantastic publishers and publicists that have supported me, and most of all, it’s been unfair to myself. Although I don’t consider myself much of a writer, I enjoy The Magical Buffet and I love getting to share things I like with its readers.

So with this new year I’m going to do my best to fight my instincts to just stay shut down and instead attempt to slowly trudge forward and reconnect with The Magical Buffet. I have piles of awesome books and products you should know about and I have been learning some new stuff that I would like to share. I just want to thank everyone that is still subscribed to the site and following The Magical Buffet on Facebook and Twitter. I’m hoping to soon have The Buffet on Instagram too! I also want to say a special “thank you” to Inner Traditions and Red Wheel/Weiser who have continued sending me great books to look at even when I haven’t been active.

Hopefully 2017 will be a good year, a better year for all of us. I think we all need each other more than ever so let’s be good to each other, okay?